The world population has grown to point where mass production of the foods that we consume is no longer a luxury but a requirement. Local farmers, providing food and food products directly to the marketplace, cannot meet the demands of modern society. The food supply chain now incorporates very large, complex farms and high speed and very high volume processing plants to satisfy the need for mass processing and production of food. Maintaining a safe food supply chain relies on the dedication of those working in the supply chain, the processing plants and also on the third party oversight of various Federal agencies whose regulations support and mandate food safety.
With two major exceptions, the physical process of taking an animal from the farm to the consumer has changed very little over time. The introduction of refrigeration, and the implementation of various chemistries to help maintain sanitary conditions and to control microbiology, has given modern food processors an advantage not enjoyed by food producers of a century ago. Refrigeration and chemical intervention practices have become an integral part of food processing facility operations. These technologies have enabled the high speed, high volume output of the large processing facilities that could not have been possible in times past without significant concern for consumer safety. With large scale and continuous processing methods being employed by large processors of protein products, or any other product that is susceptible to microbiological contamination, the concern for the control of microbiology and the safety of the food supply chain is of paramount importance.
Another concern, as the demand for food products increases, is the impact on natural resources created by this demand. The ecological impact is directly affected by this growth and therefore new processes must be developed to reduce the impact any given process has on the environment. The ecological impact that a food processing plant has on the environment is no longer a passing concern but a major part of operations and planning. Entire processes are built around the control and conservation of natural resources such as water. Older, outdated and less efficient processes are being replaced at significant cost with more efficient and less wasteful processes that maximizes the utility of available resources. No longer can a plant operate without concern for the conservation and sustainability of natural resources.
To insure that the food supply chain in modern society is maintained at the highest levels of safety for the consumer, the plant's employees, and the overall environment, there are federal agencies that monitor the processors operations so that a continually safe food supply is assured and the environmental impact and utilization of natural resources is as safe and efficient as possible.
Modern food processing methods are scrutinized by government agencies to ensure compliance with safe handling and processing guidelines designed to minimize issues of food safety in the supply chain Regulations and routine inspections of systems and processes by Federal agencies such as the USDA, EPA and OSHA, mandate a government-industry alliance that helps ensure that every effort is made to deliver the safest for product possible to the consumer.
Very innovative approaches to the systems and methods used in processing facilities have been implemented to create profits for industry while maintaining low consumer cost of the final product. As new processes are developed, the federal agencies that have jurisdiction over any particular process are called upon to review the new approach and to ensure that the new innovation meets the current guidelines for safety. The higher the processors output, the higher the risk of microbiological contamination, and therefore the more innovative the processor must be to combat this ever present threat to the food chain safety. As new risks are found, federal guidelines become more stringent.
Large scale refrigeration systems, used to help control microbial growth in various processing applications, have helped the food processing industry to remain in compliance with food safety goals. Refrigeration applications and processes are implemented at various locations in the processing operation to ensure maximization of microbiology control and shelf life. Depending on the particular product being processed—beef, pork, poultry and fish for example—and the particular operation taking place, various methods of achieving this reduction in product temperature are employed.
In poultry processing for example, submersion in large chilled water baths is the allowed and preferred method for the rapid reduction in carcass temperature after evisceration. Other means of accomplishing the reduction in temperature for beef or pork products are utilized and will not be considered in this disclosure as that they do not currently utilize a large chilled water bath for the purpose.